50-metre superyacht for sale for $US1.5m

The fully custom all-aluminium 168-foot Trinity Tri-Deck superyacht, which was a year old when the world economy folded and put a halt to its construction, is around 45 per cent complete, with the hull about 95 per cent complete.

If you win the auction for the T-056 shell, it will also come with a big pile of new-in-box gear earmarked for the project, including a pair of 3750hp MTU 16V engines to drive it complete with their full factory-backed warranty that doesn't kick in until the engines fire up. You’ll even get the superyacht’s current owner helping you sort out the mess, and offering advice and suggestions “on the best way to complete the project”.

Trinity, which survived the economic downturn by abandoning building superyachts in favour of making military support vessels, has said it will even help the new owner redesign the Tri-Deck’s interior to suit their needs.

The Trinity Tri-Deck was originally designed as a luxury six-stateroom motor yacht with an elevator service to all four decks.

It features what would have been a full-beam owner’s suite on the main deck, forward of the ship’s galley, a formal dining area and the main deck saloon. 

The saloon would have opened up to an outdoor bar and lounge space.

The bridge deck was planned to have a lounge space ahead of the helm with a central walkway to the bow. Behind the bridge were suites for the captain on one side, and a VIP suite to the other. Behind it was to be a small owner’s lounge complete with a four-seat card table.

Below decks, the crew quarters were to be forward with an engineer’s cabin with bunks, its own head and shower, and a working space. 

In between were to be four guest suites with king-size beds, and two twin rooms with Pullman bunks.

Some of the images of the superyacht's current status show parts of it scattered around its Mississippi-based yard, with one section that looks like the flybridge deck's superstructure sitting inside vegetation that has started to overgrow it.

If you were to buy it, this grand project boat will cost you around an extra $US25 million ($A40 million) to get on the water. To buy something similar as a finished project from a qualified yard, you’d be looking at more than $US35 million, the group auctioning the motor yacht says.

The Trinity Tri-Deck project boat currently has a reserve price on it of just $US2.5 million, but with a starting bid of $US1.5 million – and you’ll need to stump up a $US100,000 deposit just to be able to bid.

If the $US2.5 million reserve price is not met, the superyacht’s current owner wants 24 hours to consider the offer on the table before saying yes or no.

Is the project boat a bargain? The market will judge if it is. That said, a second-hand 164-foot Trinity yacht, launched in 2011 after the company picked up where it had left off, is currently for sale for just over $US24 million, and includes a major refit carried out this year.